Napa and Sonoma Wine Tasting: Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (4.31)

http://www.cask23.com/

Open: 10:00am-4:30pm

Appt required? No

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (May 15, 2012 Itinerary)

Directions:

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Tasting:

We follow up a lesson in disastrous branding from Behrens Family Winery (or Erna Schein, or Behrens & Hitchcock) with review of one half of a pair of wineries that wrote the book on protracted legal battles over naming rights. Many people probably know that there is a Stags Leap AVA in Napa Valley; fewer probably realize that there are two wineries called Stags Leap: Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Stags’ Leap Winery (note the apostrophes). Both laid claim to the name and it ended up in court. When the judge threatened to forbid BOTH from using any variation of the name “Stags Leap”, they settled on the subtle apostrophe variation.


Really? This is as different as it gets, huh?

The similarities don’t stop with the name, though, and if you always thought they were the same winery, no one would blame you. Their labels are both white with a pencil-sketch stag either standing (SLWC) or leaping (SLW). I mean, take a look at the logo on the right and the one at the top of the post. Are you kidding me? Why wouldn't you think these were the same winery, or at least operated by the same company? Stags’ Leap Winery makes my go-to Petite Sirah from Napa Valley, a wine that is consistently delicious especially with a nice juicy steak. Our visit today, however, is to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, famous for big Cabs like the Fay and Cask 23.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (SLWC) offers two standard tasting options: a “Napa Valley Collection Tasting Flight” featuring their entry-level wines, and an “Estate Collection Tasting Flight” focused on their single vineyard Arcadia Chardonnay and their three big estate Cabs: the Fay, S.L.V., and Cask 23. The tasting room is set amid trees and buried into a hillside, giving it a Hobbit-esque feel. I strolled in a bit before 4pm (closing time is 4:30) and got things going on the Estate Collection Flight. Naturally, though I wanted to be difficult:

“Would I be able to swap in the Artemis Cab for the Arcadia Chardonnay?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” replied my host. We were off to a good start.

I tried the Artemis, Fay, S.L.V., and Cask 23 and found all to be solid wines. The Artemis was good, but I found all of the others to be well above average. To top things off, my new pal behind the bar poured me a taste of their “Block 1” Cab, a Club-only reserve Cab that was delicious. With the ready availability of all of their wines at Binny’s (at least those that non-club members like me could purchase) and the hefty price tags (they were really good, but not $195 good), I elected to leave without purchasing anything but the tasting. There was one more treat in store.

“I think the tasting’s supposed to be $30, but I’ll just charge you $20.”

No idea why, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. Considering the Fay, S.L.V., and Cask 23 retail for $95, $125, and a whopping $195 respectively, the tasting was already a decent bargain at $30. Instead, I think his generosity just earned his winery some bonus atmosphere points! Nicely done, sir!

SLWC is an easy, accessible stop right along the Silverado Trail and a place I’d recommend for Cab lovers. It has a bit of a commercial feel, but the grounds are nice, the room spacious, and the staff was friendly and overly accommodating. A solid experience.

Recommended wine:The Fay and S.L.V. were both quite tasty, and if you ever have the opportunity to try the Cask 23, TAKE IT.

Ratings (out of 5):